International Women Day 2025: Female CEOs, CSO Leaders Highlight Barriers to Women’s Growth
Top Female CEOs and CSO leaders have highlighted challenges impeding women’s growth on International Women Day, IWD 2025, calls for accelerated action on gender equality.
International Women’s Day 2025, celebrated globally on March 8, adopted the campaign theme ‘Accelerate Action’, highlighting the pressing need to expedite progress towards gender equality.
The theme serves as a rallying cry, urging individuals, organisations, and governments to intensify their efforts in promoting women’s empowerment and bridging the gender gap.
The urgency of this issue is underscored by the World Economic Forum’s projection that, at the current rate of progress, achieving full gender parity may take until 2158.
This staggering statistic translates to approximately five generations from now, emphasising the need for swift and collective action to address the systemic inequalities and barriers that hinder women’s advancement.
Speaking on some of these challenges and how they could be mitigated, the Head of Brands and Marketing Communications, Wema Bank, Mabel Adeteye, said, “So this year’s women’s day celebration is different.
from it and have these awareness.
“We don’t have to wait for too long before you speak up. Speak up and get help.
“Also, financial empowerment is an important aspect when you look at gender based violence. It’s important for women to have access to knowledge, finance and information that they need to upscale their lives.”
Also speaking, Lawyer and Founder of my Ability in Disability Foundation, Emonena Akwara, noted that “More women are now aware of some of our plights. I myself am promoting awareness amongst women.
“As a stroke survivor, I have imputed the strength of a woman in stroke survivors that are women. I keep telling them it’s not the end of their lives.
“I have cases of stroke survivors being abused. I have not experienced resistance in leadership as a woman because when I lead, I try to be your friend first.
“Thus, resistance doesn’t come to play. In fact, I have a lot of men in my community and volunteer list and they are nice.”
In the same vein, Commercial Manager, Travelstart, Bukky Akomolafe, noted that women fall back in work place is due to life choices they have to make which means they have to sacrifice some aspects of their career.
“The decision to marry and bear kids comes with sacrifices, that warrants many women to make several life choices.”
Founder, Splice, and Former VP/Group Head, Product Strategy, Piggyvest, Layo Ogunbanwo, noted that, “there are already biases that comes with you being a woman especially if you are assertive and self aware.
“The burden for inclusivity is on everyone and companies should make concentrated efforts to ensure they are promoting women just as they do men.”
Assistant VP, Branding and Story Telling, Flutterwave, Yewande Akomolafe-Kalu, also noted that, “women have been excluded from financial services so companies can focus on.
“Women are facing realness in the domestic space that limits their available time so there is need for specifically tailored solutions for women.”
She added barriers for entry that come in requirements to have access to finance.
“When more women have access to finance the economy grows and it benefits everyone.
“General business education is needed for women. This can help them differentiate their business fund from private funds, and could help their accounts in cases where they seek business funds.”
